This term, the Hippo and Giraffe rooms at Cashmore Early Years Centre have been full of energy and excitement as we welcomed new children into our setting. The focus has been on helping everyone settle in, build relationships, and begin to feel confident in their new environment. Through a variety of engaging activities, children have been learning each other’s names, developing social skills, and exploring the resources around them.
To support name recognition and early phonics awareness, children have enjoyed singing “Hickety Tickety Bumblebee,” where they clap the syllables of their friends’ names and listen for initial sounds. Turn-taking games using the songbox have encouraged children to wait patiently, have a go, and celebrate each other’s participation. These activities are not only fun but also help build a strong sense of community within the key groups.
Storytime has been a highlight, especially with the interactive book Dear Zoo. Children took turns lifting the flaps, practicing patience and sharing while engaging with the story. This supported their language development and understanding of narrative structure.
Creative expression has also been a key focus. Children explored open-ended painting activities using brushes and cutters to make marks. Practitioners talked with the children about the colours and shapes they created, encouraging them to describe their work and make connections between their ideas and the marks they made.
The continuous provision has offered a rich variety of resources, including interstars, Duplo, small Lego, magnetic Duplo, and stickle bricks. These materials have supported the development of fine motor skills and imaginative play, allowing children to build, connect, and create freely.
Counting songs such as “Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer” and “Five Little Ducks” have been a joyful part of the daily routine. Occasionally, children used whiteboards to mark-make numbers during these songs, reinforcing early numeracy and number recognition in a playful and meaningful way.
